Windows 11 can be booted into a “safe mode” that will allow us to troubleshoot things. How to get there has of course changed and is shrouded in great mystery because apparently Windows 11 is so awesome that there are never any issues to troubleshoot, with it being obviously the best ever operating system of all time (although my experience is pretty much the opposite).
Here’s how to boot into Safe Mode:
restart your PC
at the login screen, hold down SHIFT and choose “restart” (at the bottom right)
everything seems normal, but you’ll get into the crazy blue troubleshooting screen
choose Troubleshoot – Advanced Options, then Startup Settings
click the option to restart and wait for yet another reboot
you’ll be presented with a list of options, press 4 to choose Safe Mode
wait for the FOURTH frigging reboot, after which you’re finally in Safe Mode
I know this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and it’s entirely non-obvious how to get here, but yeah – that’s Windows 11 Safe Mode.